"There is no doubt in my mind that this board will continue to lead us to make ethics as important as achievement," Rodgers wrote in his June 1 resignation letter.

In 2010, Rodgers, a former Riviera Beach city councilman, became the first chairman of the Ethics Commission, which was created in response to a series of local government scandals. He was appointed by the Palm Beach County League of Cities.

Rodgers is a local legal pioneer. During the 1960s, he became Palm Beach County's first black prosecutor and in 1973 became the county's first black judge.

His background and experience made him the ideal first leader for the Ethics Commission, fellow commissioner Manuel Farach said Thursday.

"He comes with such extraordinary credibility," said Farach, the current chairman. "He gave us the right viewpoint. He gave us the right tempo."

Corruption scandals since 2006 resulted in four Palm Beach County commissioners resigning and pleading guilty to criminal charges related to misuse of office.

The string of scandals led to a series of reforms that included creating a new Ethics Code, appointing an Ethics Commission and hiring an inspector general charged with ferreting out government waste and abuse.

More than 70 percent of voters in November 2010 approved expanding the reach of the Ethics Code, Ethics Commission and the inspector general beyond county government to include all 38 local cities, towns and villages.

The ethics code sets standards for conflicts of interest and other wrongdoing for elected officials, public employees and those who do business with local government.

The Ethics Commission hears cases of suspected violations of the new code, offers advisory opinions about potential violations and leads training for local government officials and employees.

Punishments for ethics code violations can range from reprimands to prosecution by the State Attorney's Office as a first degree misdemeanor, with maximum penalties of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

So far, the commission has been more advisory than punitive. In December, it handed out its first punishments, reprimanding two county employees for sharing copies of a certification exam with fellow test-takers.

Beyond that, the board during 2011 produced 123 advisory opinions, issued to local elected officials, appointees and government employees.

Rodgers and other ethics commissioners have maintained that education and prevention are preferable to punishment in the bid to help restore public trust.

Rodgers did not attend Thursday's commission meeting and could not be reached for comment, despite several attempts by phone.